October 23/13 11:55 am - CAS Rules Against UCI in Points Penalty

Posted by Editoress on 10/23/13

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has handed down a ruling that retroactively strikes down a UCI sanction penalizing WorldTour teams that signed riders coming off of doping suspensions. The UCI had a rule that prevented riders from earning points from WorldTour events in the 24 months following their return from a suspension. The goal was to penalize teams that signed such riders, since the rider's points wouldn't count towards the team's overall standings.

Alberto Contador, who won the Vuelta Espana a month after his Clenbuterol positive suspension ended, was one major name impacted (along with his team Saxo Bank), as was Alejandro Valverde (and his team Movistar). A number of other riders and teams also were involved in the appeal.

The CAS ruled that the UCI violated the WADA Code, specifically that "an athlete may not be penalised for an offence in a more severe way than the existing sanction at the time of the offence".

The decision was made retroactive, so the points that riders earned after they returned to the sport are reinstated.